When Atlas exited the VR Capsule, his body was drenched in sweat and his stomach growled loudly. He opened his eyes and sat up while Ferin's capsule opened immediately.
"Hehehe, I'm hungry!" Ferin laughed cheerfully, jumping out of the capsule energetically and looked at Atlas. She noticed how his appearance right now was a bit unsightly. "Look at you, At! You're drenched in sweat! Go shower now before your stinky smell infects me too!"
"Are you calling me stinky?" He responded sarcastically with a blank face.
Ferin tilted her head in response and thought of an answer after a short pause, "Yes. Though, in a good way!"
"Uhuh..." Atlas stared at Ferin for a moment and chuckled, "Oh well. I will take a shower now. What's for dinner today?" He stepped out of the capsule and stretched his sore body.
"Omelet rice!"
"How creative."
Atlas entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him while Ferin walked into the kitchen and cooked the dinner she mentioned before.
The omelet rice was quickly finished and she put them on a plate. When Atlas left the bathroom with his body completely clean, his stomach growled again when he smelled the food.
"Ahahaha, the sound is louder now! Let's eat quickly." Ferin put the plates on the dining table and sat down, waiting for Atlas to join her.
They chatted about Horizon Online's world announcement and how they had succeeded in their plans while enjoying their meal.
Once they were done, they tidied up the plates and washed the dishes together. Afterward, they relaxed in the lounge of her apartment while enjoying a tea.
"Do you have any work tomorrow, Fer?" Atlas asked as he poured the boiling water into two cups. "Modeling or appearing in an ad?"
"Nope. I've already finished all the photo shoots. It's going to be an online magazine now. And I was supposed to shoot for a certain ad, but it's too troublesome so I refused. The theme was romantic and I had to kiss the guy. Just imagining it makes me disgusted. Blerg~"
Atlas thanked God internally. He really didn't want Ferin to kiss anyone besides him. He didn't even want her to touch anyone else either. He was a selfish and possessive man when it came to this girl.
"I see." He shrugged as he sat down and gave Ferin her cup of tea. "So, we're free to play in Horizon Online again tomorrow?"
"Mhm!" She sipped the tea carefully with a big smile on her face. "I'll be looking forward to our adventures! And we have arrived at the new city. I can't wait to learn new skills and check out their armor shops."
Atlas drank his tea leisurely and looked at the window beside him, looking at the city view from the 25th floor penthouse. There were street lamps and tall buildings with lights inside their rooms. The sun had just set down, so many vehicles passed by on the highway while some walked around the sidewalk on their daily life.
After thinking about something, he turned to Ferin.
"Let's talk about our future plan again, Fer." He said, eliciting a nod from her, "Our goal is to investigate the Ball of Time. To do that, we need to be strong enough to explore dangerous areas. Currently, we are one of the strongest players, but we still have a long way to go."
"Right." She replied in understanding, "And we will use our free time for that!"
"There is no need to rush. The expansion content will only be released in 3 years. In the meantime, let's have fun and level up to max level in the first year. We also need to make money in the game if you want to retire from the entertainment industry, but... I wanted to ask something first."
"What is it?" Ferin tilted her head in confusion and sipped her tea again, enjoying its calming effect.
"I have been curious about this since you retired, but..." Atlas coughed once to clear his throat and looked into her blue eyes seriously.
"Do you enjoy the entertainment industry? Being a model, I mean. I noticed that you were smiling genuinely after finishing your job, and I don't want you to stop just because of me. Please do what you want, Fer. I'm serious about this."
"At."
Her voice became soft when she heard Atlas' question, and she put the cup on the table and interlocked her fingers together, supporting her chin as she leaned forward.
"Hmm, I never thought about it that deep, honestly. But maybe you're right. I enjoyed being a model because it was fun at first and I got used to it later on."
Ferin fell silent for a moment, organizing her thoughts before speaking up again.
"But ever since I met you, I kept thinking that my time is better spent on something else, playing Horizon Online with you. Meeting you has changed me. This life suddenly doesn't feel as bleak and boring anymore. It feels more worth living when you're in it."
Atlas blinked upon hearing her answer. It was not what he had expected to hear, so he didn't know how to respond to it.
"Don't think too much, At! Being a model is fun and all, but I enjoy playing Horizon Online more. Shooting an ad could take a few days, making me unable to meet you or play a game. That was why I retired when my contract ended before we time traveled!"
"But you do want to continue being a model, right? Then–"
"It's okay! I was expecting that question to come sooner or later. I wanted to spend time with you more than being a model. But... I know!" She suddenly clapped her hands together, startling him. "How about this? We become a couple models! I will also make my own agency so no one can tell me what to do. Genius! What do you think?"
"Uhuh..."
This was Ferin we were talking about, of course she would come up with a solution like that. Atlas couldn't help but sigh in exasperation. He was just worried about his lover, but then she thought of a way that not only benefited her career slash hobby but also didn't take a lot of her time away from him.
"Is that even possible?"
"Hehe~" Ferin puffed out her bountiful chest and showed off a smug look that Atlas really liked. "Don't worry. I have an IRL cheat activated! My image in Horizon Online will be more popular than real life once the game is in full swing too. Don't forget that I'm a rare bunny girl!"
'Well, she wasn't wrong.' He thought, 'She was also pretty popular in our first round of gameplay.'
"Okay then," Atlas leaned forward and raised his right hand with a gentle smile on his face. "I'll leave the planning to you, Fer. As long as you're happy, I will accompany you."
"Ehehe!" Ferin jumped out of her seat and tackled him, making both of them fall onto the couch. She kissed his cheek happily. "Thank you for worrying about me, At! I'm really lucky to have you!"
He didn't have the heart to push her away, so he let her be and wrapped his hands around her back.